Mobile digital devices such as wireless devices, including, for example, cellular telephones, smart phones, laptop computers, notebook computers, tablet devices have become ubiquitous in recent years. With evolving lifestyles, improved technologies, and ever changing socio-economic behavior, people are increasingly using these digital devices, from where ever they are, to communicate with one another over voice and message, to consume a wide variety of digital contents, and to perform day-to-day activities. However, sometimes discourteous and dangerous misuse of digital devices outweighs their utility. For example, people often use their digital device in auditoriums, in conferences, in theatre, or while driving vehicle. Use of digital devices in auditoriums, in conferences, or in theatre may distract or cause irritation to speaker, performer, listeners, or watchers. Similarly, use of digital devices by the driver while driving vehicle may significantly distract the driver's attention from driving-related tasks and may therefore significantly increase the risk of traffic violations and driving accidents.
Many regulatory authorities have adopted rules regarding the use of digital devices while operating a vehicle or within a specific area. The rules may range from banning the use of the devices to restricting the use in some manner when in such area or while driving. The implementation of rules is hard to enforce unless there is a process or a technique in place that provides controls. Existing techniques are limited in scope while trying to deter users from usage of digital devices. For example, signal jamming techniques may be utilized to prevent the use of or block certain functionalities of the digital devices. However, the technique may block other devices besides the target device. Furthermore, jamming technique may likely interfere with the communications of more than just the targeted user(s). For example, several techniques disable any mobile device moving at a speed greater than some predetermined limit, whether or not the usage is by a driver or a passenger much to the chagrin of bus riders, subway commuters, train passengers, cab passengers and so on.
Additionally, current techniques need multiple external devices and sensors, communication mechanisms, real-time interactions with service provider, and continuous battery power for determining a driver in a vehicle or if vehicle is on move. For example, GPS based speed determination consume lot of data bandwidth and battery. Similarly, car based sensors interacting with digital devices to determine the driver and car motion involves considerable costly modification in either car or device or both. Moreover, techniques that rely on enabling or disabling certain features of the digital device based on positive human action are limited in so much so that it require positive human action.